SOLD Mr L USA British Admiral’s Royal Naval Wilkinson Sword & Royal Naval Midshipman’s Dirk of Rear-Admiral Edward Balfour Cloete, Royal Navy.

SOLD Mr L USA
For sale together with the midshipman's dirk as a father and son pair, [ see photos no 25253]

Overall in excellent plus condition, retaining around 95% original gilt to the hilt, with rare spring clip locking half basket, the so-called officer's cutlass solid hilt, as opposed to the regular folding guard hilt. Deluxe full etching with royal naval anchor and royal cypher. Made by Wilkinson in 1914, supplied by Royal Naval outfitters, Gieve Matthews and Seagrove Portsmouth. Name engraved E.B.Cloete RN to the scabbard throat, with Wilkinson's of Pall Mall makers shield.
Despite being over 100 years old it would still be perfect for current service use.

Edward Balfour Cloete was born in 1885, the son of Lieutenant-General J. G. Cloete of Guernsey, where he was educated at Elizabeth College prior to entering Britannia as a Cadet. A Lieutenant-Commander by the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, he survived the sinking of the cruiser H.M.S. Aboukir in the following month, and afterwards served in the Grand Fleet in the battleship HMS Canada, in which he was present at Jutland, HMS Canada's first assignment was with the 4th Battle Squadron, Grand Fleet, in Scapa Flow.
HMS Canada saw action at the Battle of Jutland, under orders of Captain William Nicholson. In total she fired 42 main guns rounds and 109 secondary guns rounds during it. She was not hit once, and sent two salvoes on SMS Wiesbaden, fired five more at an unknown target around 19:20 plus its 6-inch guns on German destroyers about that time.
Then he was commander of the Destroyer Flotilla Mediterranean fleet.
FIRST DESTROYER FLOTILLA
Captain E. B. Cloete

MACKAY (F)
Capt. E. B. Cloete
WORCESTER (temp F)
Capt. F. R. M. Johnson
VIMIERA
Lt. Cmdr. D. H. M. Leggatt
VIVACIOUS
Lt. Cmdr. A. F. C. Layard
VOYAGER
Cmdr. B. C. S. Martin
WATERHEN
Lt. Cmdr. A. D. B. James
WALRUS
Lt. Cmdr. J. L. Younghusband
VENDETTA
Lt. Cmdr. B. S. Davies
WRYNECK
Cmdr. T. B. Fellowes
FIRST SUBMARINE FLOTILLA
Captain F. H. Taylor, DSC
WOLSEY (F)
Capt. F. H. Taylor, DSC
CYCLOPS (depot ship)
Cmdr. H. N. Lake, DSO, DSC
OBERON
Lt. Cmdr. F. L. Merriman
OXLEY
Lt. Cmdr. W. R. Fell
OTWAY
Lt. Cmdr. T. H. Dickson
ROVER
Lt. Cmdr. C. B. Allen
REGENT
Lt. Cmdr. J.R.H. D'Aeth
REGULUS
Lt. Cmdr. L. M. Shadwell
DESTROYER DEPOT SHIP
SANDHURST
Capt. J. Powell, DSO
attached drifter (no crew provided)
EDDY
SLOOP
BRYONY
Cmdr. I. W. L. Frewen-Loton

Gaining steady advancement between the Wars, one of Cloete’s final appointments was as King’s Harbour Master at Portland and he was placed on the Retired List as a Rear-Admiral in June 1936. He was, however, recalled on the renewal of hostilities, and appears to have been employed for a while at the Royal Naval training establishment as President. Later he was Vice Commodore, rear Admiral RNR, second in command of a convoy service, including personally, with 32 ships in CONVOY HGF 18 sailing on the Aguila, [out of Liverpool] departing 1940 February 6th from Gibraltar to Liverpool.

The Gibraltar convoys of World War II were oceangoing trade convoys of merchant ships sailing between Gibraltar and the United Kingdom. Gibraltar convoy routes crossed U-boat transit routes from French Atlantic ports and were within range of Axis maritime patrol aircraft making these convoys vulnerable to observation and interception by bombers, submarines, and surface warships during the Battle of the Atlantic. OG convoys brought supplies from the United Kingdom to Gibraltar from September 1939 until September 1942. Beginning with Operation Torch, OG convoys were replaced by KM convoys transporting military personnel and supplies from the United Kingdom to and past Gibraltar into the Mediterranean Sea. HG convoys brought food, raw materials, and later empty ships from Gibraltar to the United Kingdom from September 1939 until September 1942. After Operation Torch, HG convoys were replaced by MK convoys returning mostly empty ships from the Mediterranean to the United Kingdom. KM and MK convoys ended in 1945.

Admiral had two sons who entered the Royal Navy, the eldest who was an Lt. then Lt Commander in WW2, serving with distinction in three of the most important allied invasions of the entire war, Operation Torch, Operation Overlord and Operation Dragon, later on battleship HMS Duke of York, and aircraft carriers Ark Royal, and Eagle, promoted to captain and awarded the OBE by the Queen in 1953.
His other, second son, Midshipman R. E. Cloete, Royal Navy, was killed in action on the battleship H.M.S. Barham in November 1941. He was killed in action aboard, when Barham was sunk off the Egyptian coast.

Admiral Cloete died shortly after the war in 1947.

The Cloete family is remarkable in that it was to produce three generals’ and one admiral in the British and Indian armed forces, namely General Sir Abraham Josias Cloete, British Army; General Henry Daniel Cloete, British-Indian Army, Lieutenant-General Josias Gordon Cloete, British-Indian Army and Rear-Admiral Edward Balfour Cloete , Royal Navy.

Just returned from 8 hours full hand cleaning and conservation.

The scabbard throat bears his name and the blade bears the Wilkinson serial number for 1914, the royal cypher on the blade is quite worn but otherwise the etching is superb.

Photo in the gallery of battleship HMS Canada of Jutland.

PRICED FOR BOTH THE SWORD AND THE DIRK TOGETHER

Code: 24254